My wife's parents were told (probably by a BB employee) that "their not making DLPs any more".

I'm assuming this isn't true since I know that Mits was releasing the Laser-Vue, but it got me thinking... what's the current state of DLP? I haven't been following any news about the subject but am still wondering what (if any) news is out there.

Is Samsung going to release new DLPs in 2009... and how is Mits doing with the Laser tech?

Personally, I'm a DLP person and would be annoyed if my next set would have to be LCD or Plasma... at least until OLED or that "flat CRT" tech (can't remember what that was called) comes out in force.

Thanks for any info,

My Samsung rep told me that they will still be making DLP's. I've heard that Mitsubishi will also continue to make a rear projection unit as well, but those will be the only two remaining manufacturers.

I was wondering this very same thing. Mitsubishi will be making their Laser DLP but I have not seen ANY press releases for '09 models which is somewhat unusual. Usually they have concept models out by now. I have also heard from somewhat reliable sources that Samsung will not be making DLP after this year. With the falling prices of Plasma and LCD and the market response to DLP, I think this is a very Likely possibility.

Currently only Samsung and Mits are manufacturing DLP units.
You won't see any announcements from Samsung or Mits till after the Christmas buying season as to if they will continue to manufacture DLP units in 2009. The anouncements will be made at the CES show in Las Vegas the week of Jan 8th. There are lots of rumors that Samsung will not continue to manufacture DLPs in 2009. I have seen no rumors that Mits will stop manufacturing either bulb or laser based DLPs in 2009.

Yeah I have also heared that the DarkChip 4 will be the last one made by TI but I dont know if that's true or not. I think DLP will still have a future in front projection if rear projection goes away.

Display newb here....

I just started looking around at displays after 5+ years and the DLP sets are looking very good.
I have not seen any LCD that came close but I have seen a few Plasmas. A large screen, beautiful picture (much more realistic in color), and a price around $14-1600...
I don't see how it can be beat.
I have a Panasonic LZ800 in the bedroom and it does have an amazing picture but when it's movie night I know I couldn't stand the over bright LCD compared to a properly set up RP DLP.
So then are plasmas more reliable and have the prices really fallen that much?

For the price (60 inch and larger) DLP-RP's are still the best value. BUT you can get a good 50" plasma for the same price. Most consumers find plasma's to be more appealing and the marketing by retailers is better. I think the profit margins on DLP's are pretty slim. Front projectors are a different story of course. Like previous posters have stated... we won't know for sure until at least January. But here's my guess as to 2009 models. Mitsubishi will manufacturer a full line 60" and larger probably using the new DLP chip. Samsung will scale back production only offering 67" and Larger and likely will still use the DLP 3 chip to save on cost.

My Reasoning:

1. Mits wants to keep DLP alive due to their Lazer TV (and lets face it) DLP is the only set that Mits makes half-way well.

2. The quasi Merger of Pioneer and Panasonic plasma displays will bring lower cost and higher quality in larger displays.

3. LCD displays have the largest profit margins and stores push them. (Most consumers also think they look better)

double post

For the price (60 inch and larger) DLP-RP's are still the best value. BUT you can get a good 50" plasma for the same price. Most consumers find plasma's to be more appealing and the marketing by retailers is better. I think the profit margins on DLP's are pretty slim. Front projectors are a different story of course. Like previous posters have stated... we won't know for sure until at least January. But here's my guess as to 2009 models. Mitsubishi will manufacturer a full line 60" and larger probably using the new DLP chip. Samsung will scale back production only offering 67" and Larger and likely will still use the DLP 3 chip to save on cost.

My Reasoning:

1. Mits wants to keep DLP alive due to their Lazer TV (and lets face it) DLP is the only set that Mits makes half-way well.

2. The quasi Merger of Pioneer and Panasonic plasma displays will bring lower cost and higher quality in larger displays.

3. LCD displays have the largest profit margins and stores push them. (Most consumers also think they look better)


i'm waiting til next year to see if they both continue, otherwise ill get the 67 inch sammy for cheap next year.


i would love for samsung to get a 72 inch led out to the market fr around 2500-3000 range

but i also cant see anyone making anything smaller than 65 inch in the future.

i doubt mits will have anything smaller than 65 inches anymore

and i really dont see the point for samsung to have the 61 inch model any longer.

maybe they will both intro something around 80-85 inches to stay competitive with lcd and plasma til oled can become affordable with large screens in the next 5 years.

i can see samsung dropping the bulb base line, with mits either keeping a bulb line or dropping the price of the lasers

According to service reps, Mitsubishi is dedicated to DLP and will continue to focus on the very large screen sizes. They will have both lamp based and laser models with new models introduced in late 2009, including 75 and 85 inch laser, and lamp based product for entry level units. Samsung's rep told us that there would be no production of RPTV after December. Whether there are new models for 2009 or not is still a bit uncertain, but rumors from several sources suggest that there will not be and Mits will be alone in the RPTV market. FP DLP products will continue to be available from many vendors.

The Rear-Projection DLP market is dead as far as retailers are concerned... Mitsubishi is the only vendor to continue to provide new models in 2009 as their last competitor (Samsung) is leaving the game the focus on LCD.

If you want one of the Mitusbishi models the real trick may be finding a retailer that will sell you one. Discounts come from competition and wide availability. When those things are gone you can expect to pay a lot closer to MSRP.

Mitsubishi lead the rear-projection market for a very long time. It's understandable (and foruntate) that they aren't ready to give up on this technology just yet. Not every consumer looking for a 60" screen has $5k to drop and not every consumer is blown away by LCD technology.

For the heck of it I call Samsung and asked if the LED-DLP "750" would be for sell this year, since I heard they will stop making them at the end of the year 2008. She put on hold (5 min) came back and told me her supervisor made a call and was told they will be available through 2009 but no new models will be released. Now I know that the staff is the last to find out if a line will be cut but since there was an effort taken to check verse a flat no, it makes me believe that I at least have some time.